Synopsis

After fainting at work, a young lady awakens in the back room of the café she works at with no memory of her life or those around her. Two of her friends, whom she soon learns are named Shin and Toma, are called to help her get home safely. Once she is alone, she meets a spectral boy named Orion that only she can see and hear. He explains that she lost her memories because of his chance visit to her world, so he vows to help her remember who she is.

However, regaining her departed memories without worrying those around her may be more difficult than she realizes. In addition to the gloomy Shin and the protective Toma, she must be wary of arousing the suspicions of the captivating Ikki, the quick-witted Kent, and a mysterious man who lurks in the distance. As her amnesia entangles her in the lives of each of these men, her fragmented memories return piece by piece, and the mysteries of her circumstances slowly come to light.

Are you a lonely, boy-less teenage girl? Do you wish you could have many hot guys surrounded by you, astounded by you for no real reason? What about living in a world where you get to date and be submissive to no, not just one attractive male, but over FOUR of them in many different worlds? Does that sound like the dream life to you? Have no fear, "Amnesia" is just what you need to fulfill this!

In case you don't get the vibe, this is pretty much a reverse harem used primarily for female wish-fulfillment. The story centers around our lead girl, erm, I guess we just call her Heroine? Because her boyfriends that love her oh so dearly never bother to call her by her name? Yeah. Heroine finds herself awakening with no memories, and it's up to her and a spirit called Orion to collect her memories. She's also trapped in this sort of "time loop." Basically, each time she dies, the date resets. By date I mean both the month and day and her current boyfriend.

The story has two main issues: the pacing and the Heroine. The pacing moves by pretttty damn slowly, to the point where even when we hit episode nine, nearly nothing is known about the main plot or what exactly is going on. The story is supposedly about the Heroine collecting her memories, but uh.. that's probably the least she's done throughout the show. And that's saying a lot, because she hardly does ANYTHING.

And here comes our other issue, the Heroine herself. This girl is so bland, so personality-less, and used as such a wish-fullfillment device that she doesn't even have a name. Isn't that awesome, girls? You don't even have to get depressed when hot guy #1 doesn't call out your name! It makes self-insertion much, much easier. Heroine is a story-dragger -- she provides little to no advancement to the plot herself and has to rely on everyone else to push her in any direction possible. Oh yeah, having amnesia ain't excuse for not having a personality. Fucking Nyuu from Elfen Lied had more of a personality then her, and she couldn't even dress herself.

Speaking of Heroine's reliance, this also brings another issue: she's submissive. Too, too submissive. Almost all the guys do extremely improper things to her, like shoving her against a tree in the middle of the dark against her will or forcefully kissing her, getting too close to her, anything. And she just accepts all of this. She never sticks up for herself, and is even willing to stay with a man whom she pretty much knows will dump her when his time limit is up. Great example, right guys? The male characters ain't any better -- they're all pretty much just a bunch of hot dude's lusting after Heroine for their own fucked up reasons. Some want to play her, others want to lock her up in a cage. You know how it is.

Oh uh, the positives? Well, the art is pretty crisp, as expected of Brain's Base. The eyes look downright gorgeous and the opening theme is pretty much eyecandy. The men are attractive, which is a key for these anime, and the backgrounds are well-created. Soundtrack is merely mediocre and unmemorable, though bonus points are awarded for such an awesome opening song. I'm convinced to hear more of Nagi Yanagi's stuff.

So, enjoyment? I'm sorry, but I'm not the type of person that gets wet from putting myself in the shoes of a nobody and letting all these hot guys date and rape me. If you're the type that's into that, then I'm sure your enjoyment of this will be much, much higher then mine.

Now I will ask you this again -- are you a lonely and angsty teenage girl? Do you dream of many a men surrounding you, kissing you, pinning you behind alley's, and drugging you? Do you want to live in this life? If so, then look no further, my dears. This anime is perfect for you. You got a bunch of hot guys that want your tits and a girl who's so bland that you can insert my chihuahua in it and it would probably make the story more interesting.

If not, just don't watch this. There is literally nothing to be lost and nothing to gain, except time and knowledge on how not to write a shoujo. read more

Ugh. This show. I wanted to like it so hard. But I ended up wanting to break my tv around episode 3 instead.

Story: The pilot episode pulled me in right away. Girl has amnesia due to an accident with a spirit named Orion and can't tell anyone, but has to learn about her past somehow. Several interesting things happen in the first episode. But it gets awful from there.

I get that this is based on an input based otome or reverse harem game. But the main character is SO uninteresting, boring, and just plain dull! I can't figure out why the male characters are all so interested in her! She has a few responses to everything: (1) Staring in confusion (eyebrows up in concern), (2) Responding in a whispery "hai", (3) Saying "uh, I, uh..." and just letting the silence stretch to fill time I guess, and (4) running away or rejection. She rarely asks questions about her situation and the only thing she does to try to improve her situation is writing in a journal.

Art: Oh so ugly! If I were the "heroine" (and I say that sarcastically since it seems like she'd just die if the boys weren't around to constantly save her from just about everything), I'd reject them all just based on their fashion sense!
Ikki: In purple and black. Wears not only a hairclip but makeup too.
Shin: In red and black. Clothes are raggedy and tight AND mismatched. Has one red and one black thigh high, lace up boot. And apparently vampire bites on his chest.
Toma: In yellow and black. Headbands. Really? And kind of a checkered, piratey skirt sash thing going on.
Kent: In green and black. Dresses like he's cosplaying an emo Vash the Stampede.
Then there's our main character: She wears these red and black plaid tights with a SEA FOAM GREEN dress, tunic thing. Ok, her hair is cute but they ruined that too (read on).

Did I mention the weird style of coloring their eyes? I felt like between the wacky outfits and eyes that I was in some 70s trip. Either that or the creators were TRYING to get rid of some viewers through the shear ugliness of the design.

One more thing on character design. The main char gets her hair chopped off so dramatically in the first episode that she passes out. Yet when she goes to lament her new style in the mirror it's completely the same. Given the time skipping, I thought this would have made a great way for her to keep track of where she was, what day it was, etc. But no. They gave a cop out and didn't change her design in the slightest.

Characters: The main character (whose name we never learn) is just horrendous. I've already talked about that. The male characters are extremely cliche. There's the emo bad boy, the overly intelligent and socially awkward one, the fun childhood friend, and the playa that all the girls love.

The boys all carry the story. It's completely up to them. What kills me is that they all notice something is slightly different about the main char, but don't really care or do anything about it. If she was like that before the accident, wow. How the heck did she get so many guys (not to mention her gal pals) interested in her?

Here is an exchange from episode 6:
Girl: (Looks down, looks up in surprise as Ikki goes to stand in front of her.)
Ikki: You're not staying over?
Girl: (Looks surprised. You can tell because she gasps.) Um, I...Um... (silence drags)
Ikki: It's all right. I'm not hungry like the wolf. I can sleep on the floor. I wont' do anything you don't want me to. It's up to you whether or not you believe me though.
Girl: I, uh... (silence drags)
Ikki: What's that face for? (at this point she's just staring at him, completely normal face for her)
Girl: (Staring, silence drags)
Ikki: (Staring) (Laughs) Oh come on, you don't have to look so frantic.

WTF? When did she look frantic? These guys are completely carrying the story and imagining things that aren't happening. I find it hard to see this as an anime and not the game it was based on because the main char might as well not even be there. I'm so frustrated with it. I've just completed episode 8 and I'm dropping it from here. First review I've written without finishing a show but I really don't see it getting better.

First of all, if you have strong impressions for this show, then refrain from reading any further. It might save you some time as well as brain cells that may be lost when watching this show. Trust me, time is worth saving.

Well, if I had my say, this series right here known as Amnesia is one anime that I have one HELL of a trouble following. It's not the part related to the story but rather the concept of the entire series. Even behind the scenes, Amnesia is what I see as a title that can easily be forgettable, just like an Amnesia. It's a series that just doesn't click right and was not enjoyable for me. As a matter of fact, this series is like a beauty without expression. It's a presentation without the delivery. It's a story without intelligence. And to be honest, I didn't like it one damn bit.

The series is based off a Japanese visual novel of the same named produced by Idea Factory. The game is considered of the otome genre and thus is targeted towards more of the female audience. As such, the series stars a main female protagonist as she encounters several hot guys that represents a different suit of a card deck. She becomes the center of attention with her bonds involving the other guys in several supposed routes/arcs that proceeds the story.

So from the very first episode, viewers may ask themselves: What the hell is going on?

I sure did because the story begins with the main character (named Heroine with no real definite name other than what's being addressed by) with no memories. She is about 19 years old and we know almost to none of her backgrounds from the get-go. Well, we do know a few things. She is apparently lost with no memories prior to August. She is unnamed in the series. She apparently has a job at a local bar. She is clueless with little to no knowledge of the world or even herself. And to add to the injury, Heroine is unable to complete a full sentence most of the time! It's hard to take her character with these sort of ideas from the very beginning but the series must be doing something right to attract the fans, right?

Well, perhaps that part comes with the gentlemen of the series~

Among several of the characters are the bishonens. They are presented as the guys that the Heroine has prior connections with. Each of them represents a different suit symbol such as Shin (Heart), Ikki (Spade), Toma (Diamond), Kent (Clubs), and Ukyo (Joker). All of them are dressed in a flamboyant way with their stylish clothing that can be very appealing to the ladies. Unfortunately though, they don't seem to hold any more meaning to that. The main problem here is the story. Yes, it's based on a game so there would be alternations but I feel like the series is rushed way too fast.

Let's break this down a little and see where it goes.

The series takes place on August 1, which is in the middle of dog days. Does that hold any sort of significance? Whether it does or not, the series doesn't present itself too well especially after the thrilling ending of the pilot episode. Because immediately after that, Amnesia shifts to the romance aspect of the series as Heroine seems to be already in relationship with one of the guys. As the episodes progresses, we learn that Heroine in fact has connections with several of the guys – all romantically in some way. The main problem is though how, when, where, and why? Finally, there's the supernatural part of the story with a curious little (and to add..annoying) pixie named Orion. The show in my opinion reached a new level of annoyance the second he opened his mouth. He is a creature that is only visible by Heroine herself and he seems to be the most mysterious of them all. Maybe he is able to recover Heroine's memories. Maybe he is the one who caused them in the first place. Maybe he knew Heroine prior to her amnesia. Maybe he knows the other guys as well. That's a lot of maybes.

The story itself also has problems with being a bit rushed in particular one of my favorites later on. As a matter of fact, each of the main male characters only gets so little to explore their connection with Heroine. Of course, this doesn't come as a major surprise as result of the show's given length. Regardless though, the story comes as a rushed narration and one that lacks flavor. YUCK.

Speaking of which, Heroine herself has many problems besides just her amnesia. In fact, she is presented as being foolish, deficient, unintelligent, and literally a BAKA. Her foolishness even puts herself at dangerous situations such as being nearly drowned and falling off a cliff. At first, it looked serious but at many times, it's almost laughable. That and the fact that she can rarely complete a full sentence further enhances such criticism of her weak character.

The series does bring in some interesting concepts though. In fact, it seems that all the routes will be explored despite their rushed sequences. As such, all the main male characters get their own spotlights with Heroine. The mysterious atmosphere brings a majestic feeling as well with its strange delivery. It makes viewers wants to know what happens next rather and hoping some of their questions will be given answers. That and the fact that the characters' designs are visually appealing can be attractive for the audience. Furthermore, I feel like the seiyu did a terrific job with their voice acting. Even Heroine who can rarely complete a full sentence is portrayed in a direct way to show how real she is that of having an amnesia. All the other male characters' voices fits their personality as well and in general makes some sense.

Unfortunately though, these factors added together do not justify enjoyment for me in this series. The story is just too unbelievable with too many things going on at once. Some of these things makes little sense such as a group of girls attempting to bully Heroine on a daily basis out of jealousy (?). Among others, there is a mysterious female and another seemingly antagonist who often seems be a thorn to Heroine's quest to regain her memory. Even so, Heroine herself lacks motivation and often relies far too much on her boyfriends. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyways), she is useless. She is considered a joke and not even funny. In fact, this show has no humor and for whatever reason, it tries to force it through its dialogues. Speaking of which, the dialogues all follow a monotone like sequence. They lack flavor or an entertaining style. Hell, I can watch the New York stock exchange for more entertainment.

In terms of artwork, this series did well. The way the characters are dressed are very appealing and has that majestic feeling. To add to the mix, their eyes are decorated with stylish outlines and a creative touch. It keeps some of the audience interested but at many times, it just looks like a distraction that has little to do with the actual content of the story.

The music/soundtrack is mediocre for the series from my perspective. The OP song, "Zoetrope" by Nagi Yanagi is quite catchy as it depicts a montage of the main characters with the male protagonist. However, at many variances, it only seems to be appealing with no merit to any morality. In fact, Amnesia itself has no real value in its story besides a Heroine being a useless girl. Such a pity to be honest.

Overall, Amnesia is a series I hope I will forget. Well, if it comes to visuals, it caught my attention but beyond that leads to nothing more than a palm in the face. When watching the Heroine, it's almost like telling yourself 'why, just why is she so useless?' That source even puts her own life at danger in various circumstances until her knight in shining armor can save her. And of course, that usually happens in this series anyways. Let's not also forget that annoying pixie by the name of Orion as well with mystery written all over it. I wished this series was good. Honestly, I did but this series dropped the ball. If you do plan on watching it, I do hope you enjoy it. However for me, I just want to forget it...forget it like an Amnesia of no tomorrow. read more

EDIT2016: Please take into consideration that this was written 3 years ago and the things I've written here are quite biased from an otome game fan side. It was meant to be taken as a defense to the reverse harem genre as a whole which was a lot less popular during the time I wrote this than it is now. I must mention that I changed a lot of opinions during the past three years, I've started to want to give more objective opinions, even if sometimes, it's, of course, unavoidable to not be biased; that doesn't mean that I'm discrediting this review. I am still convinced that Amnesia is NOT the worst reverse anime and most definitely NOT bad, but take mostly the first part with a grain of salt. I'm keeping this review up to note down my own personal growth. Have a nice day!

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I'm one of those people that gave a high rating to Amnesia. Why? some of you may ask. Simply because Amnesia is NOT.BAD. Not as bad as people tend to label it. First fact about Amnesia: it's an otome game (dating simulation for girls) adaption, people! Girls are finally getting more fanservice and smexy bishies! The focus on it it's quite new so nobody can and will invest that much into smexy bishie animes for girls as they do invest in smexy girls with big boobs animes for boys! But this did good even with the low capital!IT HAD A STORY! I've seen adaptions that are really bad, with no story, no development, no anything and I recognize it, but Amnesia doesn't deserve a 2 or a 3. The setting is nice! The art is nice and quite original! The music is the best of the season! The characters are a bit sketchy and hard to get through but they're not stereotypes. The heroine is a dead fish with no emotion, yes. But still, the other factors make up for it.

Story - 8
With all the time traveling we got last year this comes right at the right time. The story started off with a lot of potential and continued holding on the suspense factor till the last episode. Why are you people complaining about it? Do you like plots where you know everything from the first minute of the first episode? I personally enjoyed making theories about what the hell is happening while drooling over some bishies and have my heart thump because of some sweet, cheesy lines I'd never recognize I like in real life. The explanations we got in the last episode was quite well made and we slowly managed to connect everything piece by piece. The last regression clip to when the heroine first died was nicely made too. It would have been nicer if the heroine seemed more alive.

Art - 7
Am I the only one that remained astounded by the character design? I was sad the quality seemed to drop sometimes though, like there started to be too many closeups, the characters stopped moving that much and it all went static like in the last episodes and sometimes the guys seemed taller than how they usually are which made me make fun of them quite a lot. Example: Ukyo and the trees in the alleyway, Ikki in the hospital room, Ukyo when laying down.

Sound - 9
Great! just great! If i could i'd buy the soundtrack. I'm addicted to the ending and opening of this anime. The first time I actually abuse the replay button on my mp4 in a while.

Character - 6
They are not stereotypes. They start off as stereotypes but they're not and the most obvious example is Toma for very obvious reasons, obvious reasons that probably paralyzed you in your chair having an amused or surprised "oh god" expression on your face. The guys were all characterized pretty beautifully. The only problem is the heroine. And I once again complain about her. She has no will of her own, no actual impressions, average amount of feelings. If I could dress a doll as the heroine and replace her with the doll then you won't even notice the change. She just goes from "eh" to "oh" and then "O-O" and then "staaaaaaare*. I hated how Orion was removed from almost all the anime. He could have made her a little bit more enjoyable.

Enjoyment - 7
counting how Amnesia was the only anime that managed to keep me waiting in anticipation each Monday for the raw version, then Yes I enjoyed it.

Overall - 7
It tried to follow the otome game as much as it could afford. I liked how all characters had their route animated. FINALLY. And all the jumping in time actually had sense so every fangirl had their love love scenes with their favorite guy and everybody's happy. Anyway, I'd like to ask of those who read this review...please don't bash it too hard. Amnesia it's really misunderstood and underrated. Somebody that didn't play the game might find it harder to enjoy it as one that already played it. I also felt disappointed at some scenes, but overall, it is not a failure with no sense at all to deserve a rating from Bad to Horrible and Pathetic. Try looking at the bright parts of it too and not only at the few bad parts.read more

There is no such thing as too much love, most especially when it comes from a bunch of cute guys with unique and charming personalities. Here are some of the most exciting reverse harem anime of all time, sure to make you giggle, blush, and crave for more!